The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising of proline or proline derivatives or their salts, esters, isomers or prodrugs together with an anti-cancer ligand, preferably an antibody directed to a tumour antigen. The invention is also directed to the use of proline or proline derivatives or their salts, esters, isomers or prodrugs for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer and to a method of cancer treatment by administering said composition.
Cancer is a significant health problem in the world. Although advances have been made in cancer detection and treatment, no vaccine or other universally successful preventive or therapeutic method is currently available. Management of the disease currently relies on a combination of early diagnosis and aggressive treatment, which may include one or more of a variety of therapies such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy. While such therapies provide benefit to many patients, a high mortality continues to be observed for many cancers. The development of improved anti-tumour agents would facilitate cancer prevention and treatment.
Unfortunately, cancer is the second leading cause of death, behind heart disease, in both men and women. In the fight against cancer, numerous techniques have been developed and are the subject of current research directed to understanding the nature and cause of the disease and to providing methods for the control or cure thereof.
Although thousands of potential anti-cancer agents have been evaluated, the treatment of human cancer remains fraught with complications which often present an array of suboptimal treatment choices. As such, chemotherapeutic agents which possess little or no toxicity, which are inexpensive to obtain or manufacture, which are well tolerated by the patient, and which are easily administered would be a desirable addition to the therapeutic modalities currently available to the oncologist. Agents that will selectively sensitize malignant tissue to allow lower doses of radiation or therapy to achieve the same therapeutic effect with less damage to healthy tissues are also desirable.
Similarly, agents which prevent cancer from occurring or reoccurring are also desirable. The present invention remedies these needs by providing such chemotherapeutic and sensitizing agents.